Supporting and positioning device for car couplers



April 18, 1950 I v. E. SISSON 2,504,891

SUPPORTING AND PQSITIONING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. $1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i49 kw 3 4 l 5 Y -Z! i Z k; I F 1 II fig: Z4 {11111111 1 m IN VEN TOR.

April 18, 1950 v. E. SISSON 2,504,891

SUPPORTING AND POSITIONING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed 001;. :51, 1946 2 Sfieet-Sheet 2 .3 11 76 15 J5 \l\ 7 .g 75 #5 WA 10 Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED FATE OFFICE 2",504,s9fr SUPPORTINGAND POSITIONING'DEVIGE" Folsom commons: vitae-s. Sisson',(hibag0;jlli', assignaasamiard Railway? Eqiiipn'int Manufacturing company; 'Ghicago-,-Ill2; a corporation of Delaware Application were 31, 1e46, serial No. roam 4- G laims. (011213-61):

ported from a member adapted to be fixed to a railway car, such a' striking casting, as shown ih the drawings} To provide such a device-forso supporting a coupler and rriaintainirrg' it whenuhcoupled within said coupling ranges the p'riricipa'l objectoftl ieirlyerition; A v

Broadly such a dev'ice is shown and claimed in my copending applications; Serial-No.- 106,983ar'1'd Serial No. 706,985, and the claimsherein are aec'ordingly" restricted to the invention illustrated and described hereini Another; object ofare invention isto provide such a cushioned" coupler support and positioning device wherein should the cushior'nirigmeans fail for any reason the device would' nevertheless function asa coupler support and positioning device. In other words, should a spring breal'z the} coupler would still be swingably supported and be returned to coupling range by the device.

A further object of'the invention is to provide such a cushioned coupler carrier and positioning device of the swing motion type wherein the cushioning means isnot materially distorted dufing the swingingof the device; h The term (resilient meansP'asused' in the specification and claims, is intended tocover springs, rubber, or any other resilient material. Most of these materials, if intermittently compressed to excess progressively lose their effectiveness, and,

consequently, it is a further object of the invention to provide means to limit the compressidri of said resilient me ans.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a verticalsection partly in elevation of one half, of a coupler carrier embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of; Figure- 1.

lii'gure 3 is s sands on line 3-45, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a part of the striker structure showing one-half of the bracket portion for supporting the link assembly;

Figure 5 is a sectional View similar to Figure" 1 but of the whole device showing the parts as they would appear when the coupler had moved to one side its maximum distance. 1

A Figures 6; 7 and 8* are, ifes'pectively sid new tl'on, top plan and end were the link supporting,

FigureQ' is a toprplan coupler carrier;

Figure l'o'isa section on line l'0l0=;Figure- 9.

Figures I l and- Fzare, respectively, side elevat-ionand'planview' of the link;

Figure 13' is a view similar to- Figure 1 with the resilient means omitted to illustrate thati-n such case the devicestill functions as-a stvingablecoupler support and positioning device.

In the drawings the striking casting is formed of two spaced plates l and 2* joined-together and maintained in spaced relation by; webs- 3. and 4. Plates I and 2 are generally of like rectangular form and are each provided with a substantially central rectangular opening 5' through which the shank 6 of a railway car coupler projects and in which said coupler is'vertically, laterally and iongitudinall'y movable. The striker is, of course, fixed in any suitablemanner to the end structure of: the; car; usually to the end of the center sill, and" saidst'riker may be of an integral casting-or builtup of welded'parts', as preferred. The web 4' is: continuous from substantially side to side of the striker adjacent the bottom thereof, and the view of one end of the ,Web 3" is? of channel-like shape extending about the upper edge I of the springs 5 and partially down the sides thereof and provided with a lateral 'fla'nge or shelf 8 extending substantially to'the side ward each other and in alignment with each other but do not" meet, being spaced from each other. Mounted upon each flange 8 within the spring seat emb'ossment. Us a tapered coil spring l'5', the lowercon'volution of which is larger in diameter than the hole 9' so that; the spring rests within the embossment I'll: upon flange 8 about the hole; 9 therethroug'h. The axis of" the spaced segments l4: and of the hole 9 coincide, and each spring i5 of a length" to' project upwardly between said segments I 4 therabove; Upon the upper end 6is'aidsense l5 rests the rectangular spring cap which rho-v63" verdant-betweensa-id walls I, 2;; and I2, and is" guided therebyagalnst'late'r'al alertness due to service movementsof the car. embossinent l1 projects downwardly from the rim of strin cap it? so as to provide a hollow therewithifi, for the upper convolution of said sting I5, a) hold said spring in place; Through the spring caps is provided a rectangular hole I8, V

which is elongated in a direction transversely of the device, and adjacent each of the longer sides is an upstanding trianguiarly shaped flange I9, each having a hole therethrough, which holes 20 are in alignment with each other. Flanges iii are each provided with reflanges l 9' ext nding at an angle to the edge of the body portion of said spring cap. These holes are for application of a journal pin 2| therethrough. A coupler support suspending link 22, having an eye 23 formed at one end and a T formation at the other end providing oppositely extending trunnions 2 4, is inserted through the aligned holes 9, It and i8, and the spring with the eye portion 23 extending between the flanges 19 so that the pin may be inserted through the holes 20-26 and the eye 23 and thereby hold the link in place as well as the spring cap upon the upper end of the spring. It will be noted that the pin 2| is in length substantially equal to the distance between walls 1 and 2 and consequently in order to insert the pin in position a hole 25 is provided through wall I for this purpose. The link 22 thus is resiliently suspended pivotally at a point above the shelf or flange 8, and projects downwardly through hole 9 to a point therebelow. In Figure 6 it will be seen that the holes 26 in flanges iii are located so that when pin 2! is inserted therethrough the ends of the pin will also bear on the surface of the spring cap it (see Fig. 3) in consequence of which the bearing holes 28 are not taking the entire load.

The coupler carrier is shown at 39 and is positioned between walls I and 2. Carrier 36 is of channel-like form, the top or web 3iv of which is depressed centrally, as at 32, in which depressed portion the coupler shank is designed to rest and be supported. Flanges 33 depend from either side of the carrier and provide the necessary strength for said carrier. At its opposite ends the carrier is hook-shaped, as at 33', and bifurcated so as to straddle the links 22 with each hook shaped or bearing portion resting upon a trunnion E l at the lower end of link 22. Thus the coupler 8 resting upon the carrier, which in turn is supported by the links, is resiliently supported and in addition may move laterally within the limits of the opening 5. When the coupler moves laterally the carrier 3! is correspondingly moved, thus swinging the links 22 on pins 2! (see Fig. 5) and causing the spring cap to tip slightly. For this reason the edges of the spring cap are slightly convex so that when tipped there Will be no binding between Walls ii and i2, or i and 2, and thus the spring cap may freely reciprocate vertically between said walls. Should the coupler be uncoupled during a time when it has moved laterally, as shown in Figure 5, since the weight of the coupler in this position is to'one side of the axis of pins 2!, the coupler will swing back like a pendulum until the links are substantially vertical due to the cornbined action of gravity and momentum.

The spring I 5 is of a length and strength relative to the Weight of the coupler and carrier so as to normally maintain the spring cap approxi mately one-half inch above the shelf-like portion l3, and thus all road shocks which move the coupler downwardlya distance less than the space between the spring cap and shelf l3 are absorbed by the springs. When, however, the coupler is afifected by a violent shock, the spring caps would descend until they contacted the shelf-like portion 13, thereby preventing further downward movement and saving the spring from possible breakage.

Should the spring break, or even become lost, the most that could happen would be that the spring cap would then rest upon the shelf l 3, and the device would still function as a coupler support and positioning device. This possibility is illustrated in Figure 13.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a device to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a member adapted to be fixed to a car, a link, one end of which is adapted to pivotally suspend one end of the carrier from said member, a spring cap having an opening therethrough-through which the other end of said link extends, said other end of said link being pivotally connected to said cap, and resilient means interposed between said cap and said member to provide resilience to the pivotal suspension of said carrier.

- 2. Means to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a striking casting comprising a member and a stop adapted to be fixed to a car, said means comprising a link adapted to pivotally suspend one end of the carrier from said member; a spring cap having an opening therethrough through which one end of said link extends, means to pivotally connect said link to said cap, resilient means interposed between said cap and said member to provide resilience to the pivotal suspension of said carrier, and said stop and cap being constructed and arranged so as to limit the action of said resilient means without affecting the pivotal suspension of said carrier.

3. In a device to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a member adapted to be fixed to a car, said member including a shelf having an aperture therethrough, a link passing through said aperture, one end of said link being adapted to pivotally suspend one end of the carrier, resilient means about said link and resting upon said shelf around said aperture to provide resilience to the pivotal suspension of said carrier, and a spring cap for said resilient means pivotally connected to the other end of said link.

4. In a device to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a striking casting adapted to be fixed to a car, said striking casting having a shelf integrally formed therewith and having an aperture therethrough, a link extending through said aperture, one end of said link being adapted to pivotally suspend one end of the carrier from said shelf; a cap pivotally connected to the other end of said link, resilient means interposed between said cap and said member about said link to provide resilience to the pivotal suspension of said carrier, and means on said shelf to guide said cap against lateral movement due to service movements of the car.

VINTON E. SISSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,993,712 Barrows Mar. 5, 1935 2,107,296 Holloway Feb. 8, 1938 

